Baltimore city Mayor Sheila Dixon said she wants answers after a controversial pension deal was struck for a former city police commander that is currently a member of Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration.

The deal for Marcus Brown, who is currently the chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority police, was approved Tuesday.

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But officials are concerned about what was done to get around police pension rules to allow the 42-year-old to have a comfortable nest egg for the rest of his life -- courtesy of the city.

"I am not going to stand by and allow our pension system to be used as a slush fund or to provide golden parachutes to political cronies. It's just not going to happen," said Stephan Fugate, the chairman of the city Police and Fire Pension Board.

Brown is the former deputy commissioner of the city police department. He left the city in January to become chief of the MTA police. At the time, he had 15 years of service in the city -- short of the 20 years required for pension benefits.

But he's getting the benefits because his former boss, Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm, told the pension board that Brown had been removed from the job, WBAL TV 11 News I-Team lead investigative reporter Jayne Miller learned.

But by all accounts, Brown wasn't laid off or fired -- he voluntarily left the city to join the O'Malley administration.

"My concern is the information provided by the agency was falsified by the agency. It's not accurate," Fugate said.

At City Hall on Wednesday, Dixon demanded the paper trail on the Brown pension deal.

The deal entitles Brown to $55,500 a year for the rest of his life plus city health benefits if he chooses to take them. The salary he currently makes with the state is $127,500.

The pension deal comes at a time when the city has a shortage of police officers and a tight lid on overtime.

"I'm very concerned and I'm inquiring about it, getting specifics. I called Commissioner Hamm this morning to get some information, to get the real story about this. But I am concerned," she said.

Brown is a close ally of O'Malley. On Tuesday, an O'Malley spokesman said no one in the administration was aware of the pension deal.

O'Malley did sign a contract for Brown when he was named deputy commissioner in 2005. The contract laid the groundwork for the deal approved on Tuesday, saying Brown can get benefits at 15 years if his appointment to the job is withdrawn.

Pension officials said that is the claim Hamm made to the pension board.

Fugate said the board could only act on the information provided by the police department. He said it has no authority to question.

Through a representative, Hamm would not comment on questions asked by 11 News.